Evaluation of Critical Success Factors for engineering programs improvement plans

Improvement Plans (IP) should be collaboratively developed and efficiently managed to enhance engineering programs. This study evaluates a Critical Success Factors (CSFs) model for the formulation, monitoring, and control of IPs. The model includes 6 CSFs (Stakeholders, Processes, Information, Improvement Actions, Participation and Communication, and Institution) and 47 metrics, evaluated by 7 experts in engineering program quality. Experts assessed the CSFs on Relevance and Pertinence, and the metrics on Correctness of scale and Objectivity. Results show: (a) all CSFs were relevant and pertinent, (b) the metrics had an acceptance rate of 86.9%, (c) the Objectivity rating was 80.3%, and (d) Correctness of the scale reached 63.8%. This led to the revision of 33 metrics and the inclusion of four new ones, refining the model for better decision-making in IP management.